Only those who are asymptomatic are being allowed back into Canada for the time being, and the government has said they'll enter isolation upon their return.

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3:55 p.m.

The Saskatchewan government says an employee at an assisted living centre in Regina has tested positive for COVID-19.

It says the facility is closed to admissions, discharges and transfers.

The Ministry of Health says there's no indication the virus has spread to other employees or residents, but residents who were in contact with the infected employee will be isolated for 14 days.

The province also announced all employees working in long-term care facilities will have their temperatures checked before beginning their shifts.

Saskatchewan has reported 220 cases of the virus.

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3 p.m.

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says there are no confirmed outbreaks or clusters of COVID-19 in the city's Downtown Eastside, where many residents have underlying health conditions.

But he says it's "simply a matter of time" before COVID-19 spreads in communities across B.C.

Stewart says BC Housing has now secured hundreds of hotel rooms in Vancouver for people who are homeless or precariously housed and need to enter self-isolation.

He adds that recent income, food and cleaning supports are "stop gaps" for the next few weeks and the city needs help from higher levels of government to keep these efforts going.

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2:30 p.m.

The Manitoba government reported 15 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total to 182.

There has also been a second death, a man in his 50s with underlying medical conditions.

Nine people are hospitalized, with six in intensive care.

Health officials say 11 people have recovered.

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2:23 p.m.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says more businesses will be closing in the province in the wake of grim projections about the spread of COVID-19.

Ford says the new closures will take effect Saturday at 11:59 p.m., and will include all industrial construction except for essential projects, such as hospitals.

The announcement comes after public health officials released figures showing between 3,000 and 15,000 could die in Ontario over the full course of the pandemic.

Ford says physical distancing saves lives and his government is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect Ontarians.

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2:05 p.m.

CIBC says it is offering reduced interest rates on personal credit cards for Canadians in financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bank says credit card clients who request to skip a payment and are experiencing financial difficulties will receive a temporary lower annual interest rate of 10.99 per cent.

It says for the 80,000 Canadians who have already received CIBC credit card relief, the temporary lower rate will be retroactively applied to March 15.

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1:55 p.m.

New Brunswick is reporting four new cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 95.

Chief medical officer Dr. Jennifer Russell says modelling is being done to determine what the province's health-care system can absorb.

That modelling is expected to be released next week.

Russell said she expects a shipment of personal protective equipment and other supplies to arrive on Monday.

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1:21 p.m.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault says the province recorded 25 more deaths related to COVID-19 since the day prior, bringing the provincial total to 61.

But Legault said today the majority of the new recorded deaths did not occur in the past 24 hours, because the province had been investigating 20 prior fatalities to see whether they had been the result of COVID-19.

The premier says the province recorded an additional 583 positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 6,101, and another 64 hospitalizations including 26 patients in intensive care.

Legault says medical authorities are planning to present to the public a series of projections related to COVID-19 next Tuesday.

1:12 p.m.

Canada's top public health official is urging people to have caution when looking at provincial models for how COVID-19 will develop.

Ontario released its projections for the best and worst case scenarios of the crisis.

Dr. Theresa Tam says people should remember they are just that, projections, and not real data.

She says both must be examined to get an accurate picture of where the virus is headed.

Morrison says extra people have been hired to help staff the 811 Tele-care line.

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12:36 p.m.

There are 12 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador, bringing the provincial total to 195.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, chief medical officer of health, says the cases announced Friday are all in the Eastern Health region.

Fitzgerald says eleven people are in the hospital due to the virus and 11 people have recovered.

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12:36 p.m.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is planning to ‘pull out all the stops’ to press the U.S. on its plans to limit supplies to Canada.

The White House ordered manufacturer 3M not to ship N95 respirators across the border to Canada.

Freeland says Canada will push back hard.

She says all ministers are in touch with their U.S. counterparts and the provincial premiers have also been asked to get involved.

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12:32 p.m.

The Manitoba government is letting people hurt by the COVID-19 economic fallout avoid penalties and interest on some utility payments and property taxes.

Premier Brian Pallister says there will be a six-month period, until Oct. 1, in which people can defer payments to Crown-owned hydroelectric, natural gas and auto insurance agencies without interest or penalties.

Pallister says he is also working with municipalities so that interest is not charged for six months on the provincial education property tax and school division fees.

The province is also funding 140 new beds at homeless shelters, and repurposing a vacant public housing building to allow for social distancing.

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12:24 p.m.

Canada’s top public health official says 4 per cent of tests for COVID-19 have been confirmed positive.

The percentage has slowly climbed by one percentage point over the course of the week.

Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada is also seeing a sharper increase in deaths.

So far, she says the health system is coping.

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12:10 p.m.

Beaders in many parts of the North have joined a project to create a visible symbol of appreciation for front-line workers battling COVID-19 — from doctors and nurses to grocery store clerks and truck drivers.

Yukon resident Kyla Popadynec (pop-a-DEN'-ick) says she came up with the idea earlier this week to create a beaded fireweed pin for staff at the Dawson City health clinic where she works.

But when several hundred people from Alaska to Yellowknife offered their beading skills, Popadynec says plans for the tribute pins were expanded.

She says the fireweed design was selected because the purple flower is often the first plant to return after a wildfire, and represents strength, healing and renewal.

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11:56 a.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting 14 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the provincial total to 207 confirmed cases.

Health officials say five people are currently in hospital, while 21 people have now recovered and their cases of COVID-19 are considered resolved.

Most cases in Nova Scotia are connected to travel or a known case, with one confirmed case of community transmission and more expected in the future.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s working with the United States to help them understand that trade between the two countries goes both ways.

He made the comments after the White House ordered a U.S. manufacturer to stop delivering N95 respirators to Canada from the United States.

He says it would be a huge mistake to restrict staff, or products and services from crossing the border in both directions.

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11:32 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government will be delivering additional aid to low-income people through the GST credit sooner than expected.

The government initially announced the money would be available in May, but Trudeau now says the money will be delivered this month.

Every qualifying adult will receive up to $300, plus $150 for each child.

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11:24 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government would donate $100 million to meet urgent food needs across the country, including in northern and Indigenous communities.

He says the money will help buy and deliver food to the people who need it most.

The organizations who will receive funding include Food Banks Canada, The Breakfast Club of Canada, The Salvation Army and others.

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11:21 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian Forces are being sent to northern Quebec to help communities there prepare to respond to COVID-19.

He says the federal government is answering a call from the Quebec government.

In a daily appearance outside his Ottawa residence today, Trudeau also says the federal government has an agreement with Amazon to use its distribution network to send medical supplies to meet provincial needs.

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11 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 462 more COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total number in the province to 3,255.

Health officials also reported 14 more deaths, bringing the toll to 67.

There are also 192 more resolved cases for a new total of 1,023.

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10:20 a.m.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is calling for the federal Liberals to be more transparent about their response to the COVID-19 crisis.

He wants the government to release national level data on the spread of the virus and its implications.

He also says the government needs to move faster to get money into the hands of business, calling for them to immediately rebate GST payments.

Scheer says his party wants to be part of a Team Canada approach to virus response, but that doesn't mean not asking tough questions and demanding accountability.

He says Parliament must find a way to convene remotely to increase oversight of the government.

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10:11 a.m.

The growing movement in British Columbia and across Canada to salute health care workers by clapping and making noise each evening at 7 p.m. will gain even more volume tonight.

A statement from the Chamber of Shipping, the voice for the marine industry on Canada's west coast, says all ships in B.C. waters will sound their horns in solidarity.

The statement says the audible celebration is noteworthy because ship crews are also working to maintain essential transportation networks.